This year we are stiving to put permanent mile markers on the trail. We are seeking grants and will also accept donations for this project.  

Employees, coworkers, and your friends are encouraged to take part in this popular event as runners, spectators, or volunteers. Check out the event online at www.sciaiowa.com or on Facebook at Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon. Online registration is at www.GetMeRegistered.com.

Mail your donation to the above address or contact Shenandoah Chamber & Industry at 712-246-3455 or chamber@sciaiowa.com with questions. Thanks in advance for your commitment to Southwest Iowa, active lifestyles and the organizations that make this event possible. Thanks to last years’ sponsors: Invenergy, Pella Corp., Shenandoah Community School, Wilson Ins., Hy-Vee Food Store, The Depot Restaurant, Fareway, Brown’s Shoe Fit Store, Shenandoah Inn & Suites Hotel, Earl May Garden Center, Eye Care Associates of Southwest Iowa, City of Shenandoah, First National Bank, Sorensen Auto, First Heritage Bank, El Porton Mexican Grill, RocStop, Subway, Wal-Mart, Shenandoah American Legion, George Shaw, St. Patrick Church, and Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association. Thanks to previous sponsors over the years: Invenergy, Bank Iowa, Shenandoah Medical Center, Brown’s Shoe Fit Co., Sheridan Decorating, Eaton Corp., Green Plains, Doug Meyer Chevrolet, O’Hara Seed, Shenandoah Family Dentistry, KMA Radio, and Council Office & Document.

Best regards,

Wabash Trace Nature Trail Marathon Committee                                                                     

July 27^th SCIA Annual Meeting & Ag Banquet Features Business Building & Renovation Projects

Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association’s Annual Meeting & Ag Banquet July 27^th will be held at the Waterfalls Event Center, 907 Hartford Avenue, Farragut, IA with speakers from four major new business projects just completed and under construction in Shenandoah.

The Sanctuary Restaurant will cater the banquet dinner. Doors open at 6pm. Dinner will be served at 6:30pm. Reservations are requested by July 24^th by calling 712-246-3455 or emailing chamber@sciaiowa.com. Choose lemon butter chicken or meat loaf balls with bourbon sauce. Side Dishes to be served are loaded mashed potatoes, crack bacon green beans, salad, rolls, and dessert. Price is $30.00 per person. Pay at the door with check or cash. A cash bar will also be open. Both the Waterfalls Event Center and The Sanctuary are SCIA members.

The mission of Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association is to improve the economic vitality of Shenandoah, Page and Fremont Counties, to expand high paying employment opportunities, enhance Shenandoah’s retail shopping, and to support major community projects that improve quality of life.

Building Shenandoah’s Bright Future is a theme for the presentations at the annual event. SCIA helped facilitate incentives for each of the Shenandoah business banquet speakers.

Gregg Henshaw, Community 1^st Credit Union President and CEO, represents Shenandoah’s new location which was completed and opened last spring. The banks’ location at 700 S. Fremont St. changed the landscape of Shenandoah’s major business district and offers another banking opportunity to everyone in the region. A not-for-profit financial institution, they are the number one credit union in Iowa for agriculture loans, they offer cash back on debit accounts and higher interest on savings, as well as assistance on down payments for first time home buyers.

Midwest Mental Health has renovated a large two storefront building in downtown Shenandoah that was the former longtime Howard Clothing & Sporting Goods building. The major restoration of the building includes two floors of beautifully designed waiting rooms, offices, break rooms, and large conference room. The private counselling business owned by Kendra & Michael Weston will be their third location and opening soon.

Johnson Brothers Mill is a four-story property at the entrance of Shenandoah’s downtown on Sheridan Avenue that has been empty for decades. Dr. Margaret Brady, owner of SCIA business Healthy Tails Retreat also has a renovation business called MALOJA LLC. She has acquired the building and is rehabilitating the large structure to house her business and others.

Shenandoah Senior Villa Apartments at the corner of Sheridan Avenue and Fremont Street are being built by North Star Housing LLC, represented by Andrew and Mathew Danner. Brothers from the Kansas City area. They can’t attend the SCIA meeting as they continue to develop housing in other locations. But Gregg Connell, SCIA Executive Vice President will present the information about Shenandoah’s apartments under construction. He will also highlight other new businesses and expansions that have been completed in the last year or begun construction.

2022 SCIA Board President John McBride, President of Bank Iowa will pass the gavel to the new 2023 President Matt Sells, Shenandoah Medical Center CEO. Current 2022 SCIA board members are Bill Ditmars KMA is Vice President, Stephanie Osborn of Wilson Ins. is Treasurer, Matt Sells CEO of Shenandoah Medical Center, Cory Scamman Green Plains General Manager, Aaron O’Brien Fareway Manager, John Finn Pella Corp., Amy Zwickel Shenandoah Inn & Suites Hotel, Julie O’Hara Jim Hughes Real Estate, Becky LePorte owner LePorte Electric, Lance Cornelius State Farm Insurance, Chris Clark Fremont County Supervisor, Speck Hendrickson Fremont County Representative, Dr. Kerri Nelson Shenandoah School liaison, City liaisons Mayor Roger McQueen and City Councilman Jon Eric Brantner. Bank liaisons are John McBride Bank Iowa, Adam Wright First National Bank and Kurt Henstorf First Heritage Bank. A new 2023 SCIA board member that will start her three-year term in August is Dr. Margaret Braddy, owner of Healthy Tails Retreat.

SCIA Ag Committee members are Nick Bosley of United Group Insurance, Ian Isaacson of Bank Iowa, Craig Harris retired Farm Credit Services, Rusty Hunter of First Heritage Bank, Rachel Johnson of First National Bank, Steve Lorimor of Lorimor Farms, Jake McGargill of New York Life Insurance, Cale Jones of Tri Tower Farms and Steve Richardson of Tarkio Valley Tractor Club.

SCIA Ag Committee will present the AFA scholarship and the Friend of Ag award. AFA Scholarships are awarded to high school seniors pursuing agriculture related four-year degrees from Shenandoah, Essex and now Sidney school districts. The $4,600 scholarships are funded by local businesses and Ag Future of America.

Local AFA Scholarship contributors are Bank Iowa, First Heritage Bank, KMA Radio, Farm Credit Services of America, Green Plains Shenandoah, Jim Hughes Real Estate, Shenandoah Medical Center, Wilson Insurance, Ed and Star Ann Kloberdanz, Steve and Kathy Lorimor, Bill and Pam Ditmars, O’Hara Seed, United Group Ins., Jones Family Tri Tower Farms, T & K Nielson Farms, Drew Nielson, Duane and Marylou Rexroth, Vetter Equipment, Nishna Vally Funeral & Cremation, Mondo’s Restaurant, and Jay Memorial Trust .

Banquet sponsors are Eyecare Associates of Southwest Iowa, KMA Radio, Miller Building, Sapp Brothers, Wilson Insurance, Rawson Stevens Law, Shenandoah Medical Center, United Group Ins., Nishna Valley Funeral & Cremation, and Community 1^st CU.

For more information visit Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association new website www.sciaiowa.com.

Everly Brothers Heritage Day features UK Baldy Holly Band & Fundraising for Everly Mural Lighting Aug. 1

      Everly Brothers Childhood Home celebrates Everly Heritage Day in Shenandoah on August 1 with a concert by Baldy Holly Band from the UK. The concert will be held across the street from the Everly Brothers Childhood Home at the Depot Deli 6-9 p.m. Summer concerts are held outdoors under the big yellow stripped tent at 101 Railroad Street.

     Donations will be collected at the concert as a fundraiser for solar lighting at the Everly Brothers Highway 2 Mural east of Shenandoah. Last year the giant mural was painted by California artist John Cerney. The 16-foot-high mural directs visitors to the childhood home museum at 800 W. Sheridan Avenue. Online donations can be made at Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association website www.SCIAIowa.com.  

     In 1945 the Everly family moved to Shenandoah to accept a job at KMA radio station to perform live. From humble beginnings in Shenandoah the Everly Brothers rose to world fame. Their father Ike instilled in his sons his love for music.  At the ages of 8 and 6, sons Don and Phil began to perform on their parents live radio shows on KMA and KFNF. On weekends the family sang together traveling the area as the Everly Family. They stayed in Shenandoah until early high school. The family moved to Tennessee in 1953 and transitioned into a duo act. After decades of success in 1986 The Everly Brothers were among the first ten artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. That same year they returned to their boyhood home Shenandoah and played to a crowd of 8,500 in a homecoming concert with parade, street dedication, and class reunion.

     The Baldy Holly Bank is the most requested oldies band in the UK. They are a gutsy rock n roll group based in northeast England and play a variety of 1950’s classics from Buddy Holly, Evis, Chuck Berry, Eddie Cochran and of course the Everly Brothers. They will also be filming and Everly Brothers documentary film while in Shenandoah and around the U.S.

     For more information contact Shenandoah Chamber & Industry as 712-246-3455, chamber@sciaiowa.com.

May 6^th Shenandoah Disability Awareness Walk “A Bridge to Understanding” Seeks Sponsors, Walkers, & Volunteers

      Shenandoah Chamber & Industry Association (SCIA) along with Nishna Productions, Inc. (NPI) and the Depot Restaurant are restarting the Shenandoah Disability Awareness Walk “A Bridge to Understanding” May 6 on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. Participants are encouraged to register with a signed waiver. Entry forms are available at SCIA, NPI, and the Depot Restaurant.

      The walk, which will start at 1 p.m., is for all ages and all abilities. This free regional event begins at the Sportsman’s Park Wabash Depot next to the Wabash Trace Nature Trail.  Walkers will travel approximately a mile to the big bridge over the Nishnabotna River and back. Gatorade and water will be available at the bridge. The trail can accommodate wheelchairs and a few golf carts will be available for assistance.

     The first 150 participants to finish the 2-mile walk/ride will receive a Bridge to Understanding medallion. Participants are also encouraged to wear their “Bridge to Understanding” t-shirts from previous years.

     The after-party will be at the Depot Restaurant,101 Railroad St., beginning at approximately 2 p.m. and features hot dogs, chips, cookies, and Depot brewed root beer floats, as well as live music under the big tent. Door prizes will be drawn from participant entry forms. Union County Strings band will perform a free concert.    

     There are many opportunities for volunteers to participate in this event. Ideally, volunteers may be partnered one-on-one with an individual with disabilities to walk on the trail. “This is an excellent opportunity for members of the community to interact and engage in a fun way with individuals with disabilities. The hope is to build foundations for friendships and to truly create ‘a bridge to understanding,” said NPI Development Specialist Emily Martin.

     Volunteers are needed to pass out beverages at the half-way point and medallions at the finishing line and to assist with setup/cleanup. At the after-party, volunteers may assist with the food line and root beer floats. Golf carts and drivers are also needed. Contact SCIA to sign-up to volunteer 712-246-3455, chamber@sciaiowa.com.

     Sponsors are needed to help with costs. Door prizes or monetary donations would be appreciated. So far contributors are SCIA, NPI, Depot Deli, Fareway, and HyVee. Contact SCIA at 712-246-3455 or chamber@sciaiowa.com if your organization or business can help.

     “Everyone from the surrounding area is welcome to participate in this special event,” said SCIA Marketing Director Shelly Warner. “It’s a fun, rewarding afternoon of interaction, music, and exercise on the Wabash Trace Nature Trail.”

March 29, 8:30 a.m., SCIA Ribbon Cutting, followed by Open House 9 a.m. to 5.pm. at Community 1st Credit Union Grand Opening at 603 S Fremont St.

March 25, Noon SCIA Ribbon Cutting at Mort’s Gun Shop, 1313 W. Thomas Ave., new owners Zach & Kelly James. Open house till 5 p.m. with food venders, refreshments, and prize drawings.